Trip report- Day 1, Saturday Jan 14th.
The cast-
Me, My DH, my DD(5) and DS(8)
My BIL and SIL
And my IL’s met us in Disney, they had been in Florida for 2 weeks already.
We arrived in Orlando to find wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour and a high temp in the 50’s.
Not the best way to start off the trip, but hey, we figured it was Much colder at home, and we were going to be in Disney.
We didn’t do Magical Express, so we waited with our driver for the luggage---all of it came down except for my suitcase.
I was not amused. We waited and waited, and finally the kids were getting a bit freaky, so I went over and filled out the lost luggage form.
My ride to Disney was not as much fun as usual, because I kept thinking of all of the things I had in the bag that would have to be replaced. At least my IL’s had a car, so I could off property where things are a tad cheaper.
When we got to the hotel(POFQ), the IL’s were waiting for us- they had already gotten their room. Ours was ready, and we were right next to them(if we do this again next year, we will be joining rooms or getting a villa or something—I felt bad about asking them to watch the kids since they had to leave their room, but if it was adjoining we would have been ok. We were in building 6, but my BIL and SIL were in building 2 because they needed a smoking room.
The hotel is beautiful!
I loved just walking around the grounds- we had a river view, which was wonderful! The kids looooved the look of the pool, they were dying to go in, but it was just not pool weather. We were also informed that the water shuttles were not running due to the cold.
After I unpacked the kids(couldn’t do mine) we decided to go to the food court and get the Mugs. This year they were all one color, so we bought different colored Mickey Head Straws so we would know the difference(Just as Disney intended us to do---there is a huge basket of straws right over the mug display.)
We took the mugs back to the room, exploring the resort a bit along the way(it truly is beautiful!), then went to the busses for Magic Kingdom. While we were waiting for the bus I got a call on my cell that Magic Express had picked up my suitcase by mistake, so it was in Disney the whole time. They told me it would be in my room when we returned. NOW I was truly happy! The kids were going nuts because we had to hit all of the POR stops, but finally we got there.
Cindarellabration was just ending, so DD was a tad upset. I just kept walking towards the Castle, and my DD kept asking me what ride I was going on. (I had set up a surprise dinner for us at the Castle- it worked out great, because as I was walking, my SIL was looking at the park guide and it said that CRT was only for Breakfast and lunch.) Finally, I got to the reservation area and gave our name, as DD stood there asking me why we stopped and what we were doing. Unfortunately, it was a 40 minute extra wait if we wanted to sit together(which, being the first night, we wanted to do), so we went inside.
My DD nearly fainted when she saw Cinderella. She got to go right over and get her picture taken, (by the way, DH said he would have the pictures ready for me by tomorrow latest.) and talked to her for quite a while. We waited and waited and finally were led into the dining room. It is gorgeous! I especially like the Mickey Sparkles on the floor.
I had the spring roll(YUMMY!) and everyone else in the party with the Dining Plan ordered the shrimp cocktail. (My IL’s did not have the dining plan, they just ordered an appetizer and then finished whatever we couldn’t eat, usually a lot of dessert!) My DH had the Prime rib and I had the flank steak, both were wonderful. I gave my dessert to my MIL. During the meal the man at the table behind us proposed to his girlfriend and we all applauded and cheered. Now that’s Magic!
We left the castle and headed for the Haunted Mansion---it was dead, so we rode it two times in a row. Then we got our spots for the Spectromagic parade. We had never seen it before, and even though it was cold enough that the kids were wearing gloves, we all loved it.
Then, since it was not crowded, we decided to go on Pirates.
On the way, we walked by Alladin, and saw gingita! We talked for a few minutes, but the kids were bugging me because they were cold and tired. As we were getting on Pirates, I realized that I hadn’t gotten my picture with her. I figured we would see her again.
Pirates was awesome, as usual, but then I put my foot down and said it was time to call it a night. People were lining up for the fireworks, which started as we got to Main Street, so it was tough to get out, but we made it. The kids whined a bit because they wanted to stop and see them, but I had a Grand gathering Fireworks Cruise booked for Monday night, so I wanted to wait until then to see them. So we got on one of the last uncrowded busses back to the resort.
We let the kids watch the bedtime story, then turned out the lights. Hubby went to Scat Cats with his sis and her hubby, and I stayed in the room to write my daughter’s journal. (I have kept one for her each year.) When he came back, in about an hour, I went down. They had live entertainment, and he was really good. I stayed for about an hour and then turned in, ready for our first full day in Disney…….